# 1: The Siena Saints
Head Coach: Mitch Buonaguro
2009-2010 Record: 27-7
2009-2010 Conference Record: 17-1
Champions until proven wrong, right folks?
Alot can change in a year. In Loudonville it has. The most successful coach in school history is at Iowa. The player of the year is in Spain. The conferences best assist man ever is in a country that is hard to pronounce, and possibly the best talent the program has ever seen is preparing to launch his own professional career.
Coach Buonaguro takes the sidelines this Saturday as a front man for the first time in 19 years. Ahead of him lies high expectations and a team that has undoubtedly lost four pieces of greatness.
What remains is enough to pick Siena at number one entering the MAAC season. Call me a "homer," maybe I am. But what you have at Siena is two first team all league players and a group of players hungry to prove they still belong on top.
Is winning the MAAC a sure thing for Siena? Far from it. If they are to win a fourth straight MAAC title it will have to come on Fairfield's home floor. There could be up to five teams that I have previewed that could go dancing this year. By years end, I believe you will see a finished Siena product that will get it done again.
The Low Down On The Saints:
It all starts with two seniors.
Ryan Rossiter is a man amongst boys now, a far cry from what he was three years ago. Rossiter has attracted some NBA interest and is a double double machine. Rossiter is one of the best rebounders in the country. Look for him to lead Siena by example and vocally this season. He will be a terror inside for any team in the MAAC. Also look for him to shoot more from the perimeter this season.
Clarence Jackson is the most explosive scorer in this league. He can string together threes in bunches and is dangerous on the break. Defense has never been Jackson's strength, but look for him to step it up on the other side of the ball this season. Buonaguro has harped heavily upon defense this preseason.
Rossiter and Jackson are two of the best in the league, but who will step up around them? I believe it will be done by committee, but you can start with O.D. Anosike who is a sophomore now. He could be the next all leaguer to wear the green and gold. Anosike has big shoes to fill with the loss of player of the year Alex Franklin.
Anosike is different than Franklin, but has the potential to put up double figure points and rebounds on any given night. It will be key for the team for him to improve on his foul shooting. Anosike will be key to have on the floor late game.
Buonaguro has said that he will play more players than Fran McCaffery did. Don't be surprised to see Siena go ten players deep every game. Owen Wignot and Kyle Griffin will start alongside Rossiter, Jackson, and Anosike.
Wignot is a athlete who will rebound and block shots above the rim. Look for him to get his points on open threes, pull up jump shots, and in transition. Griffin is a steady veteran point guard who can drill threes. Wignot and Griffin's ability too stroke the three along with Jackson will be vital to opening things up for Rossiter inside.
Kyle Downey could be one of the best sixth men in the league, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him start in some league games alongside Jackson. Downey's main problem is staying healthy. He is currently out with a knee sprain, but don't count on him being out long. The kid is tough as nails, can score in a variety of ways, and is the hard nosed defender that Buonaguro loves. Expect Jon Breeden to play backup to Jackson in Downey's absence. Breeden will add quickness and shooting ability to the backcourt.
The Saints have the biggest and likely the most talented front line in the league. Along with Rossiter and Anosike they will bring in even bigger bodies off the bench with Davis Martens, Brandon Walters, and Steve Priestly.
Martens seems to be the frontrunner to gain most of the minutes off the bench for the Saints. He is extremly athletic and has a skill set to go along with it. Walters is a space eater who can run the floor and block shots. Priestly is a wide bodied rebounder who does alot of little things right when he is out there. Don't be surprised to see any three of these players get double digit minutes on any given night.
Freshman are always a wild card but Siena has two good ones. Trenity Burdine has been slowed in the preseason by a foot problem, but look for him to impact games this year with his shooting ability and length. Rakeem Brookins could see more and more time as the season progresses. Expect him and Griffin to split time at the point guard slot through much of the season. Brookins is a hard nosed player with great shooting ability.
The Negatives:
Siena lost three of the programs greatest player ever and a coach that did nothing but win. There will be a drop off. Don't expect many blowouts. This team is more defensive minded than in the past, and will have to be to win. Aside from Rossiter and Jackson, they don't have the veteran stars they have in the past, so they will have to find some consistent scroing elsewhere to succeed.
The question is, who will do it? This a question that can only be answered in time. With a ultra competitive non league schedule look for Siena to take some bumps and bruises early as they figure out their new identity.
Griffin and Brookins are both point guards I'd take on my team any day of the week, but neither are Ronald Moore. Buonaguro won't expect them to be Moore, but it will be interesting come mid season who has the ball in their hands at the end of the game. Brookins has the potential to be a great guard in this league and Griffin's basketball I.Q. is through the roof, but will either of these factors be enough to help push the Saints over the top? Look for Siena to do some soul searching early on and have things clicking on all cylinders come March.
Even if things are clicking on all cylinders there are no walks in the park for this team. Expect a dog fight for the league title in March with five or six teams with the potential to put on their dancing shoes.
Stay tuned for my All-League picks. Thanks for reading folks! Get ready for a competitive and fun season.
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